The invention relates to modular, age-scalable, FPGA-controlled, self-centering biasing signal, monitoring devices of cardiovascular and respiratory rhythms of patients and human subjects in general that is suitable for utilization on or incorporated into beds, lying-pads, furniture, vehicles and clothing. Among other applications, the invention enables what can be termed as smart-beds that will also be of interest to hospitals and emergency response vehicles. The device can be used to detect and monitor medical conditions such as SIDS, epilepsy, seizure, and sleep apnea. The self-centering biasing function of the invention described herein eliminates the need to manually reset the monitoring device. In one specific utilization, this invention can be employed for monitoring the respiratory function of infants in slumber, sleeping individuals and patients in health care facilities. For illustration purposes, the rest of the description contained herein will focus on infants in slumber.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of death among infants who are one month to one year old, and claims the lives of about 2,500 infants each year in the United States alone. The instant invention offers parents around the globe the opportunity to save their child's life by immediately informing them that a problem exists, as well as triggering an auditory or physical intervention mechanism. Prompt notification reduces response time to seconds; thereby providing parents with the opportunity to take life saving measures. Because of the nature of this invention, this technology is of interest to parents, infant caretakers, health care facilities, retirement homes and medical personnel.